SAfrica's president to restart Zimbabwe talks Monday

http://news.yahoo.com

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - South African President Kgalema Motlanthe will travel
to Harare on Monday to restart talks with Zimbabwe's political leaders, an
official statement said.

Motlanthe will lead a delegation from the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) that includes former president and mediator Thabo Mbeki and
Mozambique's President Armando Emilio Guebuza.

"The delegation will include President Guebuza of Mozambique and former
South African President Thabo Mbeki, the facilitator in the Zimbabwe
Inter-Party Dialogue," the statement from the president's office said
Thursday.

Negotiating teams are also to meet to discuss issues related to a deadlocked
power-sharing deal signed some four months ago, it said.

Talks are to include discussion on a constitutional amendment creating the
posts of prime minister and deputy prime minister, which are to be filled by
opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai and
Arthur Mutambara, the head of an MDC splinter group.

The meeting of the negotiating teams was initially scheduled for Friday,
January 16 but had to be postponed at the request of one of the parties, the
statement also said.

Tsvangirai committed to power deal

http://edition.cnn.com

January 15, 2009 -- Updated 1112 GMT (1912 HKT)

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (CNN) -- Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan
Tsvangirai said Thursday he is committed to a power-sharing deal with
President Robert Mugabe, despite recent threats to abandon the deal.

But Tsvangirai also levied a scathing criticism of Mugabe's regime in a
speech from South Africa. He condemned recent developments in Zimbabwe that
he says have damaged the economy and caused the cholera outbreak to spiral
out of control.

"I still believe that a political agreement offers the best means of
preventing Zimbabwe from becoming a failed state," Tsvangirai told reporters
in South Africa.

Tsvangirai said he has asked South African President Kgalema Motlanthe to
mediate talks between him and Mugabe and a meeting could occur later this
week.

"If Mugabe is serious about working with me to lead Zimbabwe out of its
current crisis, then he will meet me to resolve outstanding issues,"
Tsvangirai said.

In the past Tsvangirai had threatened to pull out of the power-sharing deal
he signed with Mugabe in September 2008. He cited recent abductions and
jailing of members of his Movement for Democratic Change as one of the
reasons for pulling out of the deal. Tsvangirai blamed the abductions on
supporters of Mugabe and said at least 11 members of his party were missing.

The agreement would keep Mugabe as Zimbabwe's president, with Tsvangirai
becoming prime minister. It follows a hotly disputed presidential runoff in
June 2008 that was marred by more than 200 deaths, mainly of opposition
supporters.
In his statement Thursday, Tsvangirai said Mugabe's regime has failed to
adequately address the cholera outbreak in the country.

"The nation has lost over 2,000 people due to cholera, an easily treatable
disease," Tsvangirai said. "There is no medicine available and most of the
government hospitals have shut down for the first time in the history of our
country."

Tsvangirai gave the speech in Johannesburg but said he plans to return to
Zimbabwe soon. He said he had been out of Zimbabwe since November because
Mugabe's regime had not granted him a passport.

"I finally received my passport and this Saturday, I will return to Zimbabwe
to continue to fulfill the mandate that we, the MDC, have from the people,
to build a new, democratic, peaceful and prosperous Zimbabwe," he said.

Tsvangirai's 5 conditions before the MDC joins govt

http://www.politicsweb.co.za

Morgan Tsvangirai
15 January 2009

Statement by the Movement for Democratic Change president, January 15 2009

Statement by the President of the Movement for Democratic Change, Mr. Morgan
Tsvangirai, on the Global Political Agreement and his return to Zimbabwe,
Johannesburg South Africa, January 15 2009

Ladies and gentlemen,

Today, it is exactly 4 months since the signing of the GPA. Sadly, the Zanu
PF regime has frustrated every effort to make the deal work. Mr. Mugabe and
his party have, on numerous occasions violated both the Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) and the Global Political Agreement with impunity.

This delay in implementing both the letter and spirit of the Global
Political Agreement has caused untold suffering to the people of Zimbabwe.

Arbitrary abductions and arrest of opposition, civic society leaders and
known democratic advocates is the order of the day. Jestina Mukoko, Zimbabwe
Peace Project director, MDC and civic organization members are still
languishing in prison on trumped up charges. Court orders to release them
have been ignored. The whereabouts of 11 MDC members remain unknown amidst
growing fears for their safety.  I ask SADC to acknowledge the seriousness
of these ongoing crimes under both Zimbabwean and international law by
condemning the continued persecution of innocent citizens.

Schools have failed to open doors and our children are having their future
stolen from them.

The man-made humanitarian crisis continues to deteriorate. The nation has
lost over 2000 people due to cholera, an easily treatable disease. There is
no medicine available and most of the government hospitals have shut down,
for the first time in the history of our country.

The Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs), have done a tremendous job and
their work is greatly appreciated. There is need for a government that also
plays its part to complement these efforts. Zanu will not solve the problems
because they lack the will.  They will not do what is necessary.  The MDC
cannot solve the problems because we lack the power.  We need to transfer
power from Zanu officials who will not solve the problems, to MDC officials
who will.

 The Zimbabwean economy has collapsed and the regime continues propose
solutions that are completely out of touch with events pertaining on the
ground. With many shops now selling goods in foreign currency, those
Zimbabweans, particularly civil servants, the army and the police, who are
earning Zimbabwe dollars can buy nothing with their monthly wage. These
professionals are being impoverished while they work to serve the country
and this cannot be allowed to continue.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I still believe that a political agreement offers the
best means of preventing Zimbabwe from becoming a failed state. I am
committed to forming a new inclusive government in Zimbabwe and all I lack
is a willing partner.

In this regard I wrote recently to His Excellency, President Motlanthe of
South Africa, and to Mr. Mugabe indicating the urgent need for myself and
Mr. Mugabe to have a meeting.  I requested President Motlanthe, in his
capacity as the SADC chairman to organize this meeting.  If Mr Mugabe is
serious about working with me to lead Zimbabwe out of its current crisis
then he will meet me with to resolve the outstanding issues.

On these issues, and on our commitment to this agreement, the MDC's position
has not changed. We remain committed to the consummation of the global
political agreement subject to the resolution of the following issues:

1. National Security Council Legislation

It is imperative that the National Security Council legislation be put in
place to determine the management and governance of all security departments
of the country. The failure to realize the need for change by the
departments of police, CIO and, army  in light of the signing of the GPA
further proves the need to have these arms put under the effective control
and management of all parties. The recent abductions, torture and assault of
innocent Zimbabweans is further evidence of the need for this legislation.

2. Allocation of Ministries

The equitable allocation of ministries remains undone, and this is a key
ingredient to setting up the inclusive government. This is a painless
exercise if it is done in utmost good faith. It is therefore necessary that
it be done as a matter of urgency.

3. Appointment of senior Government Officials.

The appointment of Provincial Governors and other senior officials in
government, is another key issue still to be satisfied as far as the GPA is
concerned. This is crucial if we are to attain genuine power sharing. There
are appointments of Provincial Governors, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
Governor and the Attorney General that have since been done. These
appointments were done in contravention of the MOU and the GPA. Therefore as
far as we are concerned there are null and void. In the letter and spirit of
the GPA they should have been done in consultation with me.

4. Breaches to the MOU and the GPA

These have been ongoing since the signing of the above agreements and are
vivid evidence of the bad faith with which Zanu PF entered into this
agreement. These include the abductions and illegal detentions, the
crackdown on civil society organizations, the unilateral appointment of
senior civil servants and the vile hate speech spewed by the state media.

These must stop immediately and those abducted and illegally detained must
be released unconditionally if this agreement is to be consummated.

5. The Constitutional Amendment number 19

The roles of the President and Prime Minister need to be defined by law and
it can only be possible after the successful enactment of amendment 19 to
the constitution of Zimbabwe. Without this legal requirement being fulfilled
there is clearly no basis for these appointments. Hence, the proposal to
appoint me as Prime Minister is irregular.

Pushing the MDC into a government without fulfillment of these issues
constitutes a false start. We urge SADC and the African Union, as the
guarantor of this negotiation process to impress upon all key stakeholders
that this is the time to stand in solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe.

Now it is time for Mr Mugabe to show whether or not he is committed to this
agreement by meeting with me and resolving these issues. The MDC has made
many painful compromises during this negotiation process. However, we will
not and cannot accept responsibility without authority as we have the
mandate from the people to deliver a New Zimbabwe.

To the people of Zimbabwe, I salute your enduring resolve and remind you,
nothing lives forever. The MDC will not betray your sacrifice. We represent
your aspirations and hope.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have been out of Zimbabwe since 10th November, 2008
because the regime refused to issue me with a passport. I have used this
time to renew our diplomatic offensive to highlight the situation in
Zimbabwe and I believe this has added value to our struggle.

On Christmas Day, after a six month wait, I finally received my passport and
this Saturday, I will return to Zimbabwe to continue to fulfill the mandate
that we, the MDC, have from the people, to build a new, democratic, peaceful
and prosperous Zimbabwe.

I THANK YOU

Statement issued by the Movement for Democratic Change January 15 2009

State now admits holding 3 of missing 12

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=9936

January 15, 2009

By Our Correspondent

HARARE - Zimbabwe authorities admitted on Thursday that the State was
holding in detention three of the missing Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC) members who went missing last year.

Twelve members of the MDC, which defeated President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF
party in last year's elections have been missing since going back as far as
October 2008 after they were abducted by armed gunmen suspected to be state
security agents. They are part of a group originally numbering 40 MDC
supporters who have been abducted.

State authorities, namely Nelson Mutsonziwa of the Attorney General (AG)'s
Office and Police Superintendent Nzombe of the Zimbabwe Republic Police,
made the revelations before High Court Judge Justice Chitakunye who heard an
urgent chamber application filed by the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
(ZLHR) seeking the immediate production and release of the missing MDC
members.

The state authorities disclosed that the police had detained Lloyd Tarumbwa,
Terry Musona and Fanny Tembo under what they called police protective
custody. Mutsonziwa and Nzombe told Justice Chitakunye that the three MDC
members were being held as state witnesses in a case in which the government
is alleging that human rights activist Jestina Mukoko and other MDC members
were planning acts of banditry seeking to topple Zanu-PF leader Robert
Mugabe from power.

Mutsonziwa and Nzombe, however, denied the State was holding the remaining
nine MDC members.

The state authorities also revealed that they had investigated and managed
to discover that Bothwell Pasipamire, one of the missing MDC member was
"busy globetrotting on MDC budget" as they had seen him giving an interview
to South Africa's public broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting
Corporation (SABC) 3 castigating the government.

The state authorities invited lawyers representing the MDC members to visit
the detained members in their places of detention to confirm that they were
safe and had not being tortured.

While the authorities deny the State is holding the remaining nine MDC
members, when the 40 MDC members originally went missing, the police also
claimed that they were not holding them in any of their cells. They said
they were treating the cases as abduction.

But human rights lawyers later found them, after a painstaking effort,
detained in various police stations across the country. No efforts have so
far been made to arrest their abductors, some of whom have already been
identified and named by defence lawyers in court.

The state has argued against the identification of the abductors, who are
state security agents.

Activist tells court of beatings in custody

http://www.iol.co.za

    January 15 2009 at 07:31PM

Harare - Detained Zimbabwean rights activist Jestina Mukoko testified
in court on Thursday for the first time since authorities seized her six
weeks ago, sobbing as she detailed the abuses she suffered in custody.

Mukoko was taken from her home on December 3 by a dozen armed men who
claimed to be police, according to fellow activists.

She was not seen again for three weeks, when she first appeared in
court on charges of recruiting people for military training to topple
President Robert Mugabe's government.

She testified in a magistrate court to ask a judge to allow her to
appeal to the Constitutional Court, where her lawyers will seek to have the
charges dropped.

In her emotional testimony, the director of the Zimbabwe Peace Project
(ZPP) denied any knowledge of a plot against Mugabe and said she was not
involved with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

"I work for a non-profit organisation, and I am not involved in any
political activity.

"I repeatedly told the interrogators that I'm not a member of the MDC.
I'm a human rights activist, currently employed by ZPP. The objectives of
ZPP do not talk about toppling the government.

"On the day I was taken from my home, everyone was there - my
mother-in-law, my brother, other family members. I felt they must have
thought I was dead," she said, breaking into tears.

While under interrogation, she said security agents had beaten her on
the soles of her feet because she could not remember the name of a police
officer who once visited her office.

"I was assaulted under my feet because I had forgotten his name," she
said.

"The experience was frightening. I would not wish it upon anyone."

Prosecutors argued that the abuse was not committed by police, but by
state security agents who took her from her home.

They said she was only taken into police custody on December 22, and
that she could not base her appeal on abuses committed in the secret
detention facility where the agents kept her for nearly three weeks.

She is among 32 activists abducted under similar circumstances in
separate incidents since October, according to Human Rights Watch.

The MDC says 11 more of its members are missing, while two top party
officials appeared in court Wednesday on charges of trying to assassinate
the head of the air force.

Their cases have heightened fears over a power-sharing deal signed
four months ago by Mugabe and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, which has never
been implemented. - Sapa-AFP

Zimbabwe election body orders by-elections in eight constituencies

http://www.apanews.net

APA-Harare (Zimbabwe) Zimbabwe's electoral commission has ordered the
holding of by-elections in eight vacant constituencies to replace lawmakers
who died or vacated their seats, APA learnt here Thursday.

Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) chairperson George Chiweshe told the
official Herald newspaper that the body was proceeding with preparations for
by-elections in the eight constituencies left vacant when the incumbents
died or were elected ex-officio members of parliament or were convicted of
criminal charges.

Chiweshe said ZEC would next week shed more light on dates for the proposed
by-elections and other logistics.

Six of the constituencies where fresh elections have been ordered were held
by ruling ZANU PF candidates, three of whom died after their election last
March, while the other three were elected to higher offices.

One of the vacant ZANU PF seats was that of Edna Madzongwe, who is now
speaker of the senate, while two other ruling party MP's have been appointed
as provincial governors.

The call for fresh elections also sets the stage for a hostile contest for
the vacant seats left by parliamentary speaker Lovemore Moyo and
disqualified lawmaker Lynette Karenyi, both from the opposition Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC).

  JN/nm/APA 2009-01-15

MDC MP Meke Makuyana facing terrorism charges

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tichaona Sibanda
15 January 2009

Meke Makuyana, the 44 year-old MDC MP for Chipinge South, was on Thursday
charged under the terrorism Act after prosecutors in Chipinge accused him of
engaging in activities bent on destabilizing peace and stability in the
country.

The legislator had no legal representation when he appeared before a
Chipinge magistrate, after CID officers waylaid lawyers engaged by the MDC
and told them to go to Chisumbanje instead of Chipinge. Makuyana was denied
bail and will be held in custody until the 29th January.

He was picked up by the police on Wednesday from his Chiredzi home. Pishai
Muchauraya, the MDC spokesman for Manicaland province, told us Makuyana was
also facing a second charge of contravening sections of POSA, stemming from
political disturbances that took place in June last year. But the MDC don't
know where the terrorism charges are coming from.

'All this is politically motivated. Who doesn't know that Makuyana was
constantly under siege the whole of 2007 and most parts of 2008? He was
always under fire from ZANU PF youths under the leadership of Enock
Porusingazi, the man he defeated in the elections,' Muchauraya said.

Makuyana has never lived in peace since he defeated Porusingazi, the
notorious former MP for ZANU PF whose name is synonymous with terror and
violence. At one time during the campaign period last year, Porusingazi and
his thugs kidnapped Makuyana and held him incommunicado for several days,
where he was tortured by Porusingazi.

'Everyone in the country and outside knows the violence was one-way. It was
always ZANU PF cracking down on MDC officials and activists. The person who
should be facing these charges should be Porusingazi and not Makuyana,'
Muchauraya added.
Two other senior MDC officials have also been arrested and are being charged
with threatening police who were investigating the shooting of Air Marshall
Perence Shiri of the Air Force of Zimbabwe.

Dumiso Wakatama, the Mayor of Bindura, and senior party security officer
Tongai Jack, were remanded in custody to January 26 after they appeared in
court Wednesday on charges of threatening to kidnap and kill police officers
investigating the shooting of Shiri.

Shiri was said to have survived an assassination attempt when he was shot
and wounded in the hand in December last year, in what the regime claimed
was part of a build up of terror attacks against Mugabe's rule. What has now
become clear is the fact that these stories of attempted assassinations and
small explosions at police stations etc have all been part of a ZANU PF
strategy to completely break the opposition.

In the past three months, the regime has arrested and held dozens of civil
and MDC activists, accused of recruiting people to undergo military training
in Botswana to topple Mugabe. However these allegations have been laughed
off by regional leaders, including the South African president Kgalema
Motlanthe, who is the current chairman of SADC.

Daily cholera update and alerts, 14 Jan 2009

 Full_Report (pdf* format - 182.9 Kbytes)

A. Highlights of the day:

- 1550 cases and 104 deaths added today (in comparison 642 cases and 81 deaths yesterday)

- 42.1 % of the areas affected have reported today (24 out of 57 affected districts)

- 87.1 % of districts reported to be affected (54 districts/62)

- All 10 of the country's provinces are affected

- CTC set up in Gokwe North to cater for cases in Denda area

- Newly affected areas : Ndipe( Beitbridge), Chigwikwi (Chivi)

- Number of deaths in Mutoko and Mwenezi reduced after data cleaning.

MDC officials held for police 'death threat'

http://www.mg.co.za

HARARE, ZIMBABWE Jan 15 2009 13:22

Two senior Zimbabwe opposition officials have been arrested on charges of
threatening police investigating the shooting of the country's air force
chief, state media said on Thursday.

The two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) officials appeared in court on
Wednesday on charges of threatening to kidnap and kill police officers
investigating the shooting of Air Marshal Perrance Shiri, the Herald
newspaper reported.

Zanu-PF leader Robert Mugabe's government has labelled the shooting an
"assassination attempt". The MDC has denied any involvement.

Dumiso Wakatama, mayor of Bindura, and senior party security officer Tongai
Jack, were remanded in custody to January 26 after the prosecution appealed
against a court decision to grant bail.

The state told the court that the two accused, and another man still at
large, had threatened to kill four officers, the newspaper said.

Shiri, a cousin of Mugabe, was shot and wounded in the hand on December 10
in what government officials claimed was part of a build-up of terror
attacks against the 84-year-old's rule.

In recent months, the state has arrested and held dozens of civil and
opposition activists accused of recruiting people to undergo military
training in Botswana to topple Mugabe.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on authorities to release 32 activists and
to disclose the whereabouts of 11 others.

"The continuing detention of the 32 MDC members and rights activists appears
to be a clumsy pretext to clamp down on government critics," HRW Africa
director Georgette Gagnon said.

Mugabe and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai signed a power-sharing deal four
months ago, but the accord has stalled due to disputes over control of
powerful Cabinet posts.

The country's humanitarian crisis has worsened with nearly half the
population needing food aid and a cholera epidemic claiming more than 2 100
lives since August. -- Sapa-AFP

Plans to deport Zimbabwean activist from UK halted

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Alex Bell
15 January 2009

Plans to deport Zimbabwean rights campaigner Luka Phiri from the UK, ground
to an apparent halt on Thursday, just hours before Phiri was scheduled to be
deported to Malawi.

Phiri was detained by UK immigration on Monday and has been kept at the
Colnbrook detention centre while plans for his deportation were finalised.
Phiri sought asylum after entering the country on a Malawian passport in
2003 and explained to Newsreel that he acquired the passport to avoid the
tight visa restrictions put in place for Zimbabweans wishing to travel to
the UK. Despite a temporary ban on the deportation of unsuccessful
Zimbabwean asylum seekers, the UK Home Office is using the technicality that
he is a Malawian citizen, based on his passport of entry.

Lawyers representing Phiri were frantically applying for a judicial review
to stop the move on Wednesday, but by Thursday morning it appeared Phiri
would be leaving for Malawi. But Phiri was apparently told by staff at the
detention centre on Thursday afternoon that he would not be on the flight,
but he was still waiting for further news of his fate on Thursday evening.
Its understood a fax from the UK Home Office might be the reason behind the
sudden change of plan, but there is yet to be any official confirmation from
the Home Office whether Phiri's deportation has been cancelled or not.

Stop calling Kenya Airlines

URGENT MESSAGE

Luka is not on their flight though we still don't know for certain that he hasn't been transferred to another flight. Calls to the Kenya Airlines number are being transferred to the Police.

All female political detainees held in Chikurubi male section

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Violet Gonda
15 January 2000

Several political detainees, including civic leader Jestina Mukoko, appeared
in court on Thursday but their cases were referred to Friday for rulings.
Lawyer Alex Muchadehama said they made an application that Mukoko's case be
referred to the Supreme Court, on the basis that she should not continue on
remand and that her rights had been violated. But the magistrate referred
the matter to Friday for a ruling.

Muchadehama said Mukoko is a victim of kidnapping, has been tortured by
state agents and was denied her right to access lawyers. Her relatives and
lawyers are arguing that such a person cannot be the subject for remand
proceedings and therefore the Supreme Court should rule on this matter.

Mukoko, who is the director of the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP), is accused
together with 8 others of facilitating the training of MDC activists as
bandits.

Also on Thursday, other civic and political activists, including MDC
director of Security Chris Dhlamini, had their High Court bail application
referred to Friday because the State said it was not ready with its
response. This group is facing allegations of bombing trains and police
stations.

Meanwhile Muchadehama said that all the female detainees, including the
former ZBC broadcaster, are being held in solitary confinement in the male
section of the notorious Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison - an area of the
prison reserved for only the hardest of criminals.

He said: "My understanding is it is being done purportedly for security
reasons but we do not know what security threats the females constitute,"

It is still far from clear why Mukoko has been targeted, but there is
definitely a concerted ZANU PF campaign against her.  This week the newly
appointed Attorney General Johannes Tomana branded the civic leader a
'threat to society' who should remain in jail.

Despite the Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday that the activist be taken to
a private clinic, Muchadehama said the state agents are 'prevaricating' .
Mukoko who was abducted from her Norton home in December is said to be very
depressed.

The activists are all facing various charges linked to an alleged plot to
remove the Mugabe regime from power. All say they were tortured into
admitting the allegations. Another 11 activists are still missing after
being abducted.

Zimbabwe food crisis may worsen -aid agency

http://af.reuters.com

Thu Jan 15, 2009 5:00pm GMT

By Cris Chinaka

HARARE, Jan 15 (Reuters) - More than half Zimbabwe's population is surviving
on food handouts, and a lack of funds combined with projections of more food
shortages this year could make the crisis worse, the aid agency Oxfam said
on Thursday.

Oxfam said some Zimbabweans were going for days without meals and warned
that many households would receive smaller food rations this month because
of a funding shortfall of around $65 million for food aid operations set to
end in March.

"Peoples' lives are in danger because of the lack of food. They are severely
weakened and therefore less able to deal with cholera, which has spread
across the country, or fight HIV/AIDS," Oxfam's Zimbabwe director Peter
Mutoredzanwa said in a statement.

A cholera epidemic has killed more than 2,000 people in the country of 13
milllion.

Mutoredzanwa said many poor families were selling basic assets, including
livestock, to buy food.

Zimbabwe was once a regional breadbasket that exported food to other parts
of Africa, but it has increasingly suffered food shortages since 2001.

Critics blame President Robert Mugabe, in power since independence from
Britain in 1980, of mismanaging the economy and destroying the agricultural
sector through his government's seizure of white-owned commercial farms
which started in 2000.

The seizures saw some of the most fertile land handed over to blacks who
lacked experience and farming skills, leading to a sharp drop in
agricultural output.

Mugabe accuses Western countries of sabotaging Zimbabwe's economy in
retaliation for the seizures and working with the opposition to oust him.

Zimbabwe is in the grip of a severe economic crisis marked by the world's
highest inflation rate of more than 230 million percent. It faces another
poor farming season due to a lack of agricultural necessities, especially
seeds and fertiliser.

Oxfam's Mutoredzanwa said Zimbabwe's food output could be worse this year
than in 2008, when it produced about a quarter of its needs, and food
shortages could run into 2010.

"As well as dealing with immediate needs, aid donors have to look at
longer-term inputs to help farmers and prevent future food emergencies and
food insecurity," he said.

Mugabe, who denies his policies have destroyed agriculture and the economy,
last September signed a power-sharing agreement with opposition rival Morgan
Tsvangirai.

But the deal has hit deadlock due to disagreements about the allocation of
cabinet posts among the rival parties, which has delayed action on the
economic crisis.

Russia petitioned to stop aiding illegal regime in Harare

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tichaona Sibanda
15 January 2009

The Revolutionary Youth Movement of Zimbabwe on Thursday submitted a
petition to the Russian government at its Pretoria embassy in South Africa,
urging them to suspend support for Robert Mugabe's regime.

Russia is one of several countries that the state media says has promised
Mugabe a massive financial rescue package. Mugabe's spokesman George
Charamba also said the regime had already struck a deal with Indian
investors to pour billions into the diamond sector, after government took
sole control of the lucrative Chiadzwa diamonds fields in Marange.

It has been reported that Mugabe is expected to fly to Russia on Saturday to
negotiate the economic rescue package, underwritten by diamond rights. Simon
Mudekwa, president of the youth movement told us their petition also called
upon the Russian Federation to desist from using it's veto in the Security
Council to block targeted sanctions against the regime.
'The (veto's) obviously delay a quick resolution to country's problems. If
they could desist from blocking UN resolutions on Zimbabwe, perhaps we could
see a quick end to the crisis,' Mudekwa said.

Russia and China have religiously protected Mugabe and last year blocked a
US draft resolution in the UN Security Council that would have slapped
sanctions on the ZANU PF leader over his disputed re-election.

The Chinese and Russian joined their colleagues from South Africa, Libya and
Vietnam in opposing the draft which would have imposed an assets freeze and
a worldwide travel ban on Mugabe and 13 of his cronies, as well as an arms
embargo.
Mudekwa said they were not against the Russians providing humanitarian
assistance to the country, but were worried about reports suggesting they
would prop up Mugabe's regime by providing US$10 billion.

Analysts have long accused Mugabe of mortgaging the country's national
resources, in exchange for foreign loans.

The Chiadzwa diamonds fields seem to have given the regime some breathing
space as it is anticipated that almost US$200 million can be realized per
month from selling the precious gems.

Apparently the military operation that was launched last year at Chiadzwa,
to flush out illegal diamond dealers, was in preparation for the Indian and
Russian investors. There are reports that over 200 people were killed in
this brutal crackdown, that also targeted women and children. Many of whom
were shot down from helicopter gunships.

The Petition delivered to Russian Embassy

Revolutionary Youth Movement of Zimbabwe

U.S. to continue confronting Zimbabwe's Mugabe, says Obama's UN pick

http://news.xinhuanet.com



www.chinaview.cn  2009-01-16 01:05:18

    WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Ambassador designate to the
United Nations Susan Rice said here on Thursday that the incoming Obama
administration will continue to confront Zimbabwe led by President Robert
Mugabe.

    "I hope very much that under President-elect Obama's leadership,
we will work with southern Africa and bring their private condemnation into
the public sphere ... so that the people of Zimbabwe's suffering can finally
end," Rice said at her Senate confirmation hearing.

    Outgoing U.S. President George W. Bush and his administration have
been trying to isolate Mugabe's government, accusing the latter of violating
a power-sharing deal with the southern African country's major opposition
party -- the Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan Tsvangirai.

    Rice, U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's nominee for UN
ambassador, also vowed to upgrade America's role in the United Nations if
she is approved to take the position.

    "My most immediate objective, should I be confirmed, will be to
refresh and renew America's leadership in the United Nations and bring to
bear the full weight of our influence, voice, resources, values, and
diplomacy at the United Nations," she said.

    Rice also promised to promote U.S. leadership at the UN on climate
change, nuclear proliferation and human rights in addition to strengthening
UN members' ability to train and equip peacekeepers for global hotspots.

Editor: Mu Xuequan

Zimdollar Downward Trend Continues

Financial Gazette (Harare)

Shame Makoshori

10 January 2009

Harare - THE Zimbabwean dollar has continued to tumble as foreign currency
shortages persist. This week, the troubled currency plunged further against
major currencies.

It traded 16 times lower to $16 billion against the United States dollar
yesterday from $1 billion on December 31 2008. The unit also lost ground
against the South African rand in the comparative period, trading at $1,5
billion from $1 billion.

Analysts said the Zimba-bwe dollar has tumbled because of the upsurge in the
demand for fuel during the festive holidays and the limited remittances of
foreign currency by Zimbabweans in the Diaspora.

The availability of goods and services in foreign currency is also putting
enormous pressure on the local unit with consumers rushing to offload the
worthless Zimbabwe dollar which is being resisted as a medium of exchange.

Traditionally, the Zimba-bwe dollar appreciates during the festive season as
foreign currency remittances from Zimbabweans in the diaspora improve,
putting less pressure on its value.

John Robertson said the effects on the global financial crisis that left
Zimbabweans in the diaspora cautious about sending money home has had
negative effects on the local currency.

"There are difficulties outside the country," Robertson said.

"Businesses are closing down even in Europe and people fear they might lose
their jobs so they are not sending money as much as they used to. Where they
used to send 1 000 rands they are now sending 200 rands for example. There
is a downturn in economic activity everywhere in the world," he added.
Zimbabwe has endured 10 continuous years of foreign currency shortages
triggered by declining export earnings and the suspension of balance of
payments support from multilateral lending institutions.

UN says worst ever cholera outbreak continues, with toll topping 2,200

http://www.un.org

15 January 2009 - Zimbabwe's cholera outbreak, which has claimed more than
2,200 lives, is still spreading out of control, while humanitarian agencies
are boosting their activity in response, the United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today.
OCHA said that the agencies are now supporting 172 cholera treatment centres
throughout the country, promoting awareness of the disease through
information campaigns and helping to set up operational frameworks for
cholera command centres and rapid response teams.

Meanwhile, the Office added, Zimbabwe's food security situation is becoming
increasingly difficult as the lean season sets in.

The disease, which is caused by contaminated food or water, has affected all
ten of Zimbabwe's provinces, and nearly 90 per cent of the country's 62
local districts, according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO).

Half the estimated 40,000 cases diagnosed so far are in Zimbabwe's capital,
Harare, and the crisis is just one among many to hit the country, which has
been faced with years of failed harvests, bad governance and hyperinflation,
as well as months of political tension after disputed presidential elections
in March.

Rights groups lash out at African leaders for supporting Mugabe

http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Alex Bell
15 January 2009

Three of the world's leading human rights organisations have lashed out at
African leaders for failing to take action in Zimbabwe, in the strongest
criticism yet of the ongoing support for Robert Mugabe.

The International Bar Association (IBA), Amnesty International and Human
Rights Watch have this week all released strong statements condemning the
continued inaction of African leaders in the Zimbabwe crisis. The statements
come as 11 activists abducted by state security agents in recent weeks have
yet to be found, and while almost 30 more are being held in custody on
trumped up charges of terrorism.

The IBA on Wednesday accused Southern African leaders of blocking attempts
by the international community to hold Mugabe's government accountable for
violating human rights. The group has urged Southern African Development
Community (SADC) leaders to take immediate action in ensuring the activists
are freed, saying the regional body "has an obligation to act on the crimes
of Robert Mugabe's government."

IBA executive director Mark Ellis said in a statement that "to date SADC has
blocked outside initiatives to hold Mugabe's regime accountable for its
abuses and has been silent while international law is violated with
impunity."

At the same time, Amnesty International on Wednesday said the failure of
African leadership in the form of the African Union (AU) is 'prolonging' the
human rights crisis in Zimbabwe, this as evidence of the brutal torture
endured by the abducted activists was revealed this week. The organisation
said that the "ongoing arrests of human rights and political activists
appear to be part of a wider strategy to silence critics of the government,
and the AU needs to make a strong statement that this is unacceptable to
African leadership."

The group's Zimbabwe campaigner, Amy Agnew, on Wednesday expressed extreme
disappointment over the AU's continued silence on the Zimbabwe crisis, and
said it was time the body started showing "solidarity with the Zimbabwean
people." She accused the AU of being an exclusive "club of leaders who
support each other's goals, no matter what the cost" and explained that a
campaign to pressure the body into action would intensify in the coming
days.
The criticism was also echoed on Wednesday by Human Rights Watch, who said
the inaction of African leaders in the Zimbabwe crisis has become "a blot on
the credibility" of regional peace efforts. The group singled out the South
African government for particular criticism saying it has been "backing a
repressive leader rather than his suffering victims," and accused former
President Thabo Mbeki of straying from the ideals that guided the fight
against apartheid. The criticism comes as a South African foreign ministry
official told media in Johannesburg this week that the government still
supports a unity deal as the only way forward to end the crisis in Zimbabwe.

Why are you closing private schools?

http://www.hararetribune.com

Wednesday, 14 January 2009 22:20 Hon. Eddie Cross

The forced delay in the opening of all private schools with the threat that
any school that defied the order would face the imprisonment of their Heads
is an incomprehensible action that defies all logic.

In 2008, children attending State controlled and managed schools were
virtually denied any formal education because of the collapse of the system
due to shortages of teaching staff and teaching materials. What learning was
achieved was due to the Herculean efforts of parents who dug deep to feed
children in school hostels and to augment teacher salaries. Mission schools
did likewise.

The only sectors that worked consistently and were able to maintain a high
standard of education were the small number of private schools where parents
fund their childrens education completely. Despite constant harassment by
the Minister of Education, these schools have been able to pay reasonable
salaries to staff and maintain their standards.

Now, with one days notice, the Acting Minister of Education has forced all
these schools to remain closed simply because he has been unable to ensure
that State schools will be able to open.

The facts are that Zimbabwe has 2,8 million children in its State
administered education system. At an average class size of 30, this would
require the services of 105 000 teachers. In fact it is understood that
barely 20 per cent of this number remained at these schools at the end of
December 2008 and over the holidays, many thousands of teachers have left
the country to try to secure work in South Africa and Botswana.

On top of this, virtually no materials for schooling are available, even if
the State had the resources with which to pay for these items. The stark
reality is that State schools are unlikely to open at the end of January
although the Ministry will attempt to do so. If a Transitional Government is
formed in February, the new Minister will need at least two months to
prepare to open the State schools and to mobilize the resources to make this
possible.

Under these circumstances it is an act of folly to stop the private schools,
where parents have already paid their fees, teachers are ready to start
teaching and in some cases children had already started to arrive at schools
for the new term. This action will cost the private schools many millions of
dollars and the children vital weeks of learning.

The private schools teach the children of the very people in Zimbabwe who
are keeping the whole country going. Skilled and experienced managers and
specialists from all walks of life, without which the country could not
sustain even the present level of economic and social activity. They are a
vital segment of a collapsing society and every effort should be made to
support their efforts to stay open and in business.

Disease and starvation in Zimbabwe

Thursday, 15 January 2009

With the Zimbabwean government accused of failing to protect the health of its people by the campaign group Physicians for Human Rights, the BBC's Paul Martin sees first hand how the country's health system has disintegrated. Many nurses and doctors in Zimbabwe have been on strike or left the country At the age of 29, Charity was about to give birth to her first child in the maternity ward at the Central Hospital in Zimbabwe's second city, Bulawayo. But there was no qualified nurse there, and no doctor, to observe an irregular heartbeat developing - until it was too late. Local newspaper reports say more than half the nurses in Zimbabwe have now left their jobs or left the country in search of a better life abroad. Wards closed Much the same applies to the doctors, and many hospital wards have been forced to close. I drove past the state-of-the-art Joshua Nkomo Hospital on the outskirts of Bulawayo. It lies locked and totally unused, a decade after being built: a criminal waste of resources. Most imported goods have to be bought with foreign currency To get into the city's mental hospital, I sneaked past guards at the big iron gates, ducking low in a car's back seat - the authorities do not like nosy journalists. But I managed to get a few furtive words outside from one white-coated assistant. "I don't feel like a nurse," he said, "I feel like a mortuary attendant, that's all I am." Outside one ward, I saw a smart white car, with no number plates. I was told that the government was so desperate to keep the remaining doctors, it was dishing out government vehicles as a sort of bribe. After many months, the government has finally agreed to let nurses and doctors get paid in foreign currency. It is not much, but enough to survive. Meanwhile, we were told, but it is impossible to confirm, that 50 patients at the mental hospital have died of starvation. Foreign currency The only way to get anything worth having - including petrol - is to pay in foreign currency - the Zimbabwean dollar is inflating so fast that no-one wants it. Some businessmen are doing well from the crisis - mainly through barter deals. One told me he received 4,000 crates of beer from the country's biggest brewery in exchange for supplying imported petrol for the brewery's fleet of trucks. But most simply cannot get hold of foreign cash. For example, a teacher who goes to work in a shared taxi spends his entire monthly wages on the five South African rand demanded each way by the taxi driver. Five rand is worth 34-pence at the time of writing (50 US cents). Frequent power cuts have left people having to work by candlelight It's no wonder teachers are now refusing to mark examination papers. But it means the pupils are not receiving the educational certificates which are vital in their hunt for jobs. In any case, many schoolchildren - as many as four out of five, according to Unicef - have simply stopped turning up for class. Teachers, too, are staying away, and the start of the new school year has been officially postponed. It is not just the hospitals and schools that have ground to a halt. Bulawayo's main power station shut down long ago. The authorities mistakenly thought they could rely on importing power from abroad. In a government office that is supposed to maintain the city's electricity grid, I watched as the boss desperately tried to locate enough petrol to enable his chief engineer to drive a vehicle to a broken-down electrical station. He failed. Biggest killer The saddest thing is seeing how Aids victims are suffering. A doctor from the charity, Medecins Sans Frontieres told me that Aids is easily the biggest cause of death in Zimbabwe. According to them, it is killing far more than the current cholera epidemic. I drove into a poor township on the outskirts of the city, its streets in some places flowing with open sewage. There, cooking some maize-meal porridge and huddled next to a small fire, because there was a power failure throughout the township, was Doris, an emaciated but still friendly and eloquent lady, hugging her two little grandchildren. Physicians for Human Rights wants the UN to take over the health service Doris - I have changed her name for security reasons - is or was a university lecturer. She cannot work any more as the disease is slowly killing her. "If I had relied on the normal health system to get my anti-retroviral drugs," she told me, "I would already be dead by now". Locals say many sufferers die while they are still on a waiting list to be seen by a doctor. It is, one doctor told me, a natural cull. If you do make it to see a doctor, there is a shortage of drugs anyway, and a shortage of places to get regular treatment. Doris managed to get anti-retrovirals through connections that her teachers' union had. But her future is bleak. Her daughter simply disappeared when she discovered her mother had Aids, leaving both of her little children, aged four and six, in the care of this dying woman. "When I'm gone, I am afraid these two children will die too," Doris told me. The children nodded, wide-eyed and scared. "Who will look after them?" I had no answer, except to go to the car, fish out some provisions I had bought in South Africa to avoid eating and drinking the local products. Chocolate. Her eyes lit up. "I haven't had that for two years," she said. Each child got a block. A tiny moment of happiness in a world of anguish.

Container's contents link to dodgy dealings

From The Daily News (SA), 15 January

By Daily News Reporters

Hundreds of thousands in sterling and other evidence seized in a dramatic
raid on a container at Durban harbour and believed to be destined for
cash-strapped Zimbabwe has been returned to British police. The money,
estimated at ?300 000 (R4,4-million), is believed to have been stolen in
several cash-in-transit heists in London last year. South African police,
customs officials and two officials from London's New Metropolitan Flying
Squad found the cash packed in a luxury SUV in the container last weekend.
The money, sealed in a plastic bag, was found in a hidden compartment under
one of the vehicle's seats. Scotland Yard in London on Wednesday
contradicted information given by South African police which identified two
men arrested in the United Kingdom as being South African nationals. It has
now been confirmed that a Zimbabwean and two Ghanaians were arrested in
connection with the cash heists in London.

Superintendent Johan Meeding, of the Pietermaritzburg organised crime unit,
said they had been asked last month through Interpol to assist British
police. "We have worked previously with them on drug-related matters and
there was already a working relationship," said Meeding. "This was followed
by a formal request in which they asked us to intercept the container."
Meeding said it was clear from the clothing and other items found in the car
that the suspects were planning to use the vehicle and possibly drive
through South Africa and into Zimbabwe. "You can see the vehicle was loaded
with clothing and it was clear the guys were planning to skip the UK, but
they were arrested before they left the country." Foreign currency is highly
prized in Zimbabwe. The country's banks are in turmoil and thousands of
their employees are facing the chop as businesses and the public have lost
confidence in the local currency, the plummeting Zimbabwe dollar. Foreign
currency is now being used for trade throughout the country.

Zimbabwe's economy has been virtually dollarised - and "randised" - since
the Central Bank in Harare allowed business and traders to charge in foreign
currency. That made the local currency useless as vendors of goods and
services started demanding US dollars or South African rands. As a result,
banks, which deal in the local currency, have lost business and lending has
almost stopped. Meeding said South African police had merely processed the
evidence and handed it over to the British officials. "The money was in a
clear plastic bag, which we did not open, because the British police will
try to find any DNA evidence. All exhibits have been handed over and this
will processed in Britain because all suspects were arrested in the UK. The
British officials are leaving this afternoon," he said. Alan Crockford, a
press officer at Scotland Yard, said a Zimbabwean and two Ghanaians had been
arrested in December last year. "They were charged with robbery amounting to
£40 000 from a security van and further charged with conspiracy to rob,"
said Crockford. The three men would appear in the Snaresbrook Crown Court
next month.

According to a Sky News news insert on December 2, London's Metropolitan
Police had, since October, noticed a rise in the number of cash-in-transit
heists. London police then launched a crackdown called Operation Quizzer,
which led to 14 arrests on the first day. According to sources, the heists
were pulled off in a similar fashion to those committed in South Africa.
Durban port authorities said they were still investigating and liaising with
police. The money represents a fortune in Zimbabwe. In a recent interview,
Bankers Association of Zimbabwe (BAZ) chairperson Dr John Mangudya said
banks were facing difficulties because of the general economic conditions in
the country. Other bankers interviewed doubted they would survive the first
quarter of the year. Already hundreds of bank workers are either on forced
leave or voluntary unpaid leave as banks fight to cut costs. "We are faced
with a situation where workers come to work to just sit and use phones and
computers while there is no business at all," said a top executive of a
leading bank. "It's amazing that people are no longer using their banks to
conduct transactions because the Zimbabwe dollar is not being accepted
anywhere. Even vendors are selling in foreign currency and our grandmothers
in the rural areas are selling their goats in foreign currency."

An Open Letter to Professor Arthur Mutambara

           Dear Arthur,  [or as my dear mum would have said, Asa.]

                                                                                    It’s really true what they say, A week is a long time in politics! What has gone wrong? What has changed in the last 8 months for you to make such a  massive  somersault that you have left most of your countrymen and women breathless with shock. When you parachuted yourself onto the Zimbabwean political scene it was quite a breath of fresh air. [typical scientist I thought].

But now it seems like we have just woken from a pleasant dream into a nightmare.   I admit, I was one of many who started printing, forwarding and photo copying the article [below,  you wrote soon after the March 2008 elections. I must confess as well, at the time I thought, at last people of Zimbabwe are at one and the dear leader’s days are numbered. It was just brilliant!. But boy or boy, as  Gedion Gono would say, what a turnaround! [his never comes though]

 Just a few things I would like to know. Firstly, just tell me you did not write the article below and I won’t ask any more questions or maybe you did write it but you were under duress. Go on tell me—I am good at keeping secrets. Honestly!

 Secondly, you pointed out below,[if you did write the article], the overwhelming majority of people of Zimbabwe “removed Robert Mugabe and his fellow travellers”, how come you seem to be so keen to join these doomed travellers? Is it because, like them you have just realised, with a massive majority the people of  Chitungwiza  rejected thyself too?. I must admit I got more depressed when you gave your speech at Hero’s Acre along side these travellers last year. The same “travellers” who jumped with joy and told the nation that we were going to be self sufficient in fuel because they had discovered diesel oozing from a rock. Come on “professari”!!!

   Having grown up in the rural areas herding cattle I am quite sure of one thing. When 2 heavyweight bulls are fighting all the cows, calves and small pretenders to the crown will stand on the peripheral and either watch or chew cud because it’s just too dangerous to get involved. Why then,[3^rd question], have you found yourself in the middle of this titanic battle seemingly shouting and cheering one side? The same side you are cheering is the one which is acting like we are in  Guatamala, El Salvador and Argentina of the seventies. They come at night, people disappear, get tortured and not a word from our learned professor. What has gone wrong Asa? .Remember,Zanu has only allowed you to shout your head off while standing on top of this speeding and doomed travellers' coach. They won't allow you inside. [some people will say, please let him in] 

  Like a good and dedicated politician you would say your party is getting stronger and stronger in each region of our bleeding and beloved country but the question is,[4^th],why is it we don’t hear anything from your other lieutenants?. Come to think of it, we only hear you when you are standing next to “the dear leader” and whatever you say seems to have been written for Brian  Matonga.The last time we saw one of your lieutenants make a speech of some sort was when the “president” was being sworn in at State House [and you were not amused were you?] . Have you decided single handedly to grab the bull by the horns?.[oh sorry to remind you about the 3^rd question.]

    The most important question is -------have you not learnt anything  from history?. When politicians start ignoring the wishes of the majority they end up in a political dust bin?. In a way you are very lucky,  [I won’t call you Asa again],  Arthur, have a word with Bishop Abel Muzorewa----- he is an old hand and a bit wiser too, I hope. While at it could you ask him for me whatever happened to his spokesman, Edson  Sithole who seems to have vanished into thin air in the late seventies. You are still young to end up like Ndabaningi Sithole or Chief Chirau. It’s not too late. Actually, the person to get the best advice about treachery, probably would be the dear leader himself since you seem to be so close now. That is, if you are not worried about somebody knocking on your door at 3am------he tends to give advice  after dark.

  My advice is very simple and it’s from none other than you, Arthur. It’s inspirational, witty, gutful and just amazing. I go through it every time I am feeling a bit down with the goings in our cursed motherland. You did put a lot of thought into it and I recommend you read it once a day. It’s  the article below and it is what the doctor would recommend too. But, looking back on the article now it seems Zanu actually took your advice, especially the bit which goes-----“Regain control of Parliament by criminal and crooked means, win a run-off (or re-run)  of the Presidential elections by using brute force and blatant rigging, and thus control the Senate as well------------------------------------------------. The second phase of the strategy will then be to force and harangue a blungeoned  and brutalized opposition into a so-called Government of National Unity. This is the strategic plan”.  At this stage, if you recall, Mugabe was stating he would only talk to the British not their prostitutes!

 Arthur, you are a genius, they are following your plan or thoughts word for word !. Amazing.------ Wait a minute, were you involved in their plans? [even under duress].  I am getting scared and nervous----you must be a prophet of some sort. I’ve read it so many times and I knew something was very weird but I could not put my finger on it. So many things have gone your  way  so far except for Tsvangirai’s   intransigence. And you, Arthur are so impatient Tsvangirai is not putting pen to paper  to seal the deal. You don’t seem to say much about these activists who are disappearing daily either------------nearly all of   them from Tsvangirai’s  faction. Just as you predicted in your piece  because they are the real opposition. All you are claiming now is Tsvangirai is not putting Zimbabwe’s interests at heart. Am I missing something?. In your piece you had a pop at Mbeki, SDAC and AU but haven’t said a bad word  about them since. You have now turned your sights on the British and Americans who are ”meddling in an African solution to an African problem”. Guess who’s been peddling this message for the last 8 years?. The more I analyse your article the more I kick myself. How could I and many others not put two and two together and see the obvious. By writing that article nearly every one lost your scent and thus have been following a wrong trail. You actually managed to escape everyone’s radar[ being a scientist that was not difficult I suppose!]  NASA really picked a genius and I apologise for sounding like detective Colombo. While most MDC activists are running for cover you covered your own moves brilliantly. You thought. 

 But Arthur, seriously,-----vana vapera---[the kids are finished]----literally. The country, to all manner of reasoning, is now a failed state. When you look in the mirror each morning do you feel you contributed or prolonged in anyway to the disaster which is unfolding on a daily basis? Where would we be if you had stood firm and stuck to the ideas in the article?. A word of warning though. The Zimbabwean people will one day want some answers to what has occurred during the last 29 years, especially in Matebeleland  and the events of the last 8 years. I believe your hands are still clean but why rush to shake gory hands of these “travellers” at the end of their murderous shift?.

    Lastly, please put the 8 points you articulated in your piece to the dear leader. As I see it he won’t touch you---- [to my knowledge, he has never seriously touched you]. Both of you need each as never before.

       p/s   is your job still open at NASA?

                                                                Regards,

                                                                                  SIMON.

First published: 20th Apr 2008 18:58 GMT

A Shameful Betrayal of National Independence - Mutambara

By Arthur Mutambara The Case for both Outthinking ZANU-PF and Putting National Interest First FELLOW citizens once again we commemorate the great occasion of the independence of our country from colonial and imperialist rule. The 18th April should always be an opportunity for us as a nation to reflect, take stock, and define new trajectories. This particular 28th commemoration is like none of the previous ones. We are in uniquely invidious circumstances. Our economy has virtually collapsed and industries have grinded to a halt. Our society is calibrated by fear, terror and outright brutality. Our national institutions of governance have been rendered dysfunctional and impotent. We have had harmonized general elections, and twenty days later the results of the Presidential polls are not yet released. One of the key objectives of the liberation struggle was attainment of the one person one vote dispensation. Twenty eight years after independence our people are denied this basic right. Our country is characterized by extreme illegitimacy where we have an abrasive caretaker President and an illegally constituted Cabinet in cahoots with an imbecilic and cynical military junta, running the affairs of our country. There is heavy army and police presence in our major cities to intimidate ordinary citizens. Opposition supporters are being brutalized and killed in the rural areas under an unprecedented terror campaign. This is the state of our nation on Independence Day. It is ironic that we should be celebrating the birth of our freedom in the prevailing climate. What a travesty of justice, principle and national interest! Deconstructing the ZANU-PF Strategy There is a method to the ZANU-PF madness we have witnessed in the last three weeks. Mugabe’s strategy is pure and simple: Regain control of Parliament by criminal and crooked means, win a run-off (or re-run) of the Presidential elections by using brute force and blatant rigging, and thus control the Senate as well. As a result of these efforts, ZANU-PF will be back in complete charge and control of all the three arms of government; The Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. The second phase of the strategy will then be to force and harangue a bludgeoned and brutalized opposition into a so-called Government of National Unity. This is the strategic plan. Fellow citizens, make no mistake about it. Mugabe now knows that he will never win a free and fair election in Zimbabwe. The 29th of March made this predicament unequivocally clear. Hence, if he agrees to any new election it is clear that he would have put measures and systems in place to ensure his victory by any means necessary. This is why participation or lack of it in any new election involving Robert Mugabe is a huge decision conundrum for the opposition: Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Let us further interrogate the ZANU-PF game plan. What does Mugabe need to execute his evil strategy? Just a one word answer would do: Time. The key resource that is essential to this regime is time. All that the post election shenanigans have served to do is buy time for the dictatorship to carry out the necessary intimidation and violence, while putting the requisite rigging mechanisms in place. ZANU-PF strategists know that after announcing the results they legally only have three weeks to the run-off. They toyed around with the idea of demanding ninety days, but dropped the proposition on realizing that they could not legally sustain it. The tactic then adopted was to hold onto the results until they have done most of the dirty work, and release the hung Presidential results when they have only three weeks of evil steps to implement. A variation of the plan at that stage is to allege gross and systematic patterns of misconduct and irregularities, declare the Presidential elections null and void, and call for a re-run instead of a run-off. Yes, Robert, we know what’s up. However, we are glad that you also know what time it is. In terms of the House of Assembly, the agenda is to fraudulently seize at least 9 seats from the opposition through recounts and court action leading to re-runs. This explains the twenty-three recounts that ZEC has instituted. There is clearly criminal collusion between ZEC and ZANU-PF. To add insult to injury, this unholy marriage is dutifully consummated by a compliant and pliable judiciary typified and exemplified by Judge Tendai Uchena’s unreasonable and thoughtless decision not to order ZEC to release the Presidential results. For the record, the farce about hung Presidential election results without a clear winner should be rejected with the contempt that it deserves. Mugabe lost the election and Morgan Tsvangirai won with an outright majority. What ZANU-PF has successfully done is to psychologically prepare the nation for a false result through massive propaganda, unmitigated lies and manipulative distortions. It is clear that ZANU-PF’s keenness to portray the results as hung means that the results are the opposite; i.e., we have an outright defeat of Robert Mugabe. It is shameful that even regional leaders and the international community have been duped by ZANU-PF’s big lie. All these discussions of run-off or re-run options are testimony of, and submission to, the power of a duplicitous ZANU-PF. Mugabe has won the psychological warfare.      It is sad that in all this pervasion and destruction of the Zimbabwean national interest, the illegitimate regime of Robert Mugabe has a partner in crime in the name of the SA President. Yes, Mr. Mbeki there is a crisis in Zimbabwe. We are sick and tired of your shameless antics. You clamour that Zimbabwe is not a Province of South Africa, and yet you treat us worse than your mother’s backyard. Whatever credibility and political capital you had left from Polokwane, you are busy dissipating with reckless abandon. This is not how one constructs a basis and rationale for the African Renaissance or New Economic Partnership for Development. Shame on you Thabo Mbeki! Indeed our cup of patience with you has run completely full. How can you be an effective mediator between the Zimbabwean political parties when you show such shameless duplicity, poor judgment and spinelessness? Zimbabwe and Africa deserve better leadership than this. Let us go to New York. How can we have deafening silence on African matters by African leaders at the UN, and leave our case to be articulated by Western leaders. African solutions for African problems demand proactivity and ownership on the part of the African. We must take charge of our lives and not abdicate on our obligations to the continent. The SADC summit communiqué last Sunday was too timid and apologetic. Hence it was ineffectual. What happened at the UN this Wednesday is not only disgraceful but an affront to African dignity.  We must all hang our heads in shame.  The Appropriate Response from the Opposition On the 29th of March, the people voted for change and against the status quo. The removal of Mugabe and his fellow travelers was the issue, and nothing else. The voter’s tactical decision was to elect those perceived to have the best chance of defeating Mugabe. All democratic forces must acknowledge and respect this choice. What is imperative is for all opposition parties to close ranks and make the wishes of the Zimbabwean electorate a reality. In any run-off or re-run of the Presidential Election the support for Morgan Tsvangirai should be total and unconditional. There will be neither equivocation nor ambiguity on that subject. He represents the change that Zimbabweans voted for.  The people spoke on the 29th of March. They seek no accommodation with the Dictator or any of his manifestations. All democratic forces must stand with the people in pursuit of the total annihilation of Robert Mugabe and all he stands for. Going forward, all opposition parties, in particular the two MDC formations must work closely on all matters affecting the national interest. They ought to cooperate in the way they tackle the current political stalemate in our country. There is need to unlock and leverage the collective wisdom, moral authority, bargaining power and numerical strength that is unleashed by a cooperating and united opposition fraternity. History will not absolve this generation of leaders if we falter on this agenda. In fact, we will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Consequently, while the two MDC formations acknowledge that they are two separate political parties, they must irrevocably agree and undertake to work as one in the Legislature. In this regard they will have one Chief Whip and a single Caucus. They will agree to vote together in order to drive the transformational agenda in our country. There must be a solid and binding coalition and co-operation agreement between the two MDC formations. It is our intention it make it clear that our MPs will never vote with the Dictator’s Party. We cannot work with criminals, economic saboteurs and social deviants. Under no circumstances will we vote with Robert Mugabe. Hell no, never, ever. Put simply, the opposition is now in charge of Parliament with 109 MPs, period. That’s where the game is at Robert. Get over it. The self-serving and speculative hallucination among ZANU-PF apologists must stop. The opposition parties are united in their total onslaught on the regime.     In a way, the people of Zimbabwe and the opposition forces are underestimating the critical role and power of the House of Representatives. This is probably because for the past 28 years it was rendered a docile and ineffectual institution due to its domination by ZANU-PF. Now that we are in control of this legislative organ of the State, let us demonstrate its true function and impact. The 110 opposition Members of Parliament (from the two MDC formations and the Independent MP) must informally convene, immediately. They should elect the Speaker, and outline a comprehensive agenda for the incoming Parliament. Items that should be debated and adopted must include, but not limited to: (1) Impeachment of the caretaker President, Robert Mugabe (2) Removal of AIPPA and POSA (3) Establishment of processes for achieving a people-driven democratic constitution (4) Immediate prosecution of public servants, including military and police officers who are currently abusing their authority (5) Establishment of processes to rationalize the land reform program (6) Setting up of a Truth and Justice Commission for Gukurahundi and Murambatsvina (7) Immediate removal from office, and criminal prosecution of, the RBZ Governor, Gideon Gono (8) Dismantling and reconstitution of ZEC. Although this gathering of, and resolutions adopted by these 110 MPs will be informal, a framework for the terms of reference of the formally convened House is thus created. As these MPs constitute the majority they will use this informal platform to drive the Parliamentary agenda. This will send shivers down the spines of that illegal cabal running our country, as reality will suddenly sink in. The game is up! We need to demonstrate that Mugabe has lost and that the people have won. Even without the Presidential results we can unequivocally say that the Zimbabwean political landscape will never be the same again. ZANU-PF understands what has happened. They clearly appreciate the significance of their Parliamentary loss. This is why they are busy trying to reverse their poor fortunes through recounts and court actions. The opposition forces must both outthink and outmaneuver these ZANU-PF losers who are running all over the place like headless chickens. Conclusion In the history of every nation there comes a time when a generation has a unique opportunity to break with the past and define a new direction. Such a momentous occasion currently presents itself in our country. We need to seize the time and deliver change. This requires putting national interest before partisan, sectoral and personal interests. It demands that we apply our minds and outthink the regime. What Mugabe has lost in the electoral battle, he cannot legitimately regain in any election remotely described as free and fair. He is fatally and mortally wounded. The veil of invincibility has been pierced. On the 29th of March 2008 the people voted for change, and that democratic choice must be defended. Our independence will be meaningless without the sanctity and integrity of the one person one vote principle. Those that rule our country must do so with the consent of the governed. If a run-off or re-run is illegally imposed upon us, the first order of business is challenging and exposing the illegitimacy of the basis of that proposition. More than ever, it becomes imperative for all the progressive and democratic forces in the country to close ranks in pursuit of the collective national interest. We must seek to establish a peaceful and secure environment for those illegitimate polls. In addition to observation SADC, the AU and the international community must be allowed to supervise these particular elections; before, during and after the voting process. The mandate of the external players must include the verification and announcement of the results. Yes, the regime has behaved worse than East Timor. We now need international supervision. Consequently, the notion of regional sovereignty and the doctrine of international responsibility to protect must now take precedence over Mugabe’s narrow definition of national sovereignty. We have lost the right to manage our affairs alone internally. We need help. However, Zimbabwean citizens will be the key drivers of this revolution. The power is in our hands. Let us stand up and be masters of our destiny. On this occasion of our Independence Day, let us rededicate ourselves to meaningful and total political and economic independence. The people should govern. The people must prosper. We shall overcome. Arthur G.O. Mutambara

First published: 20th Apr 2008 18:58 GMT

A Shameful Betrayal of National Independence - Mutambara

By Arthur Mutambara The Case for both Outthinking ZANU-PF and Putting National Interest First FELLOW citizens once again we commemorate the great occasion of the independence of our country from colonial and imperialist rule. The 18th April should always be an opportunity for us as a nation to reflect, take stock, and define new trajectories. This particular 28th commemoration is like none of the previous ones. We are in uniquely invidious circumstances. Our economy has virtually collapsed and industries have grinded to a halt. Our society is calibrated by fear, terror and outright brutality. Our national institutions of governance have been rendered dysfunctional and impotent. We have had harmonized general elections, and twenty days later the results of the Presidential polls are not yet released. One of the key objectives of the liberation struggle was attainment of the one person one vote dispensation. Twenty eight years after independence our people are denied this basic right. Our country is characterized by extreme illegitimacy where we have an abrasive caretaker President and an illegally constituted Cabinet in cahoots with an imbecilic and cynical military junta, running the affairs of our country. There is heavy army and police presence in our major cities to intimidate ordinary citizens. Opposition supporters are being brutalized and killed in the rural areas under an unprecedented terror campaign. This is the state of our nation on Independence Day. It is ironic that we should be celebrating the birth of our freedom in the prevailing climate. What a travesty of justice, principle and national interest! Deconstructing the ZANU-PF Strategy There is a method to the ZANU-PF madness we have witnessed in the last three weeks. Mugabe’s strategy is pure and simple: Regain control of Parliament by criminal and crooked means, win a run-off (or re-run) of the Presidential elections by using brute force and blatant rigging, and thus control the Senate as well. As a result of these efforts, ZANU-PF will be back in complete charge and control of all the three arms of government; The Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. The second phase of the strategy will then be to force and harangue a bludgeoned and brutalized opposition into a so-called Government of National Unity. This is the strategic plan. Fellow citizens, make no mistake about it. Mugabe now knows that he will never win a free and fair election in Zimbabwe. The 29th of March made this predicament unequivocally clear. Hence, if he agrees to any new election it is clear that he would have put measures and systems in place to ensure his victory by any means necessary. This is why participation or lack of it in any new election involving Robert Mugabe is a huge decision conundrum for the opposition: Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Let us further interrogate the ZANU-PF game plan. What does Mugabe need to execute his evil strategy? Just a one word answer would do: Time. The key resource that is essential to this regime is time. All that the post election shenanigans have served to do is buy time for the dictatorship to carry out the necessary intimidation and violence, while putting the requisite rigging mechanisms in place. ZANU-PF strategists know that after announcing the results they legally only have three weeks to the run-off. They toyed around with the idea of demanding ninety days, but dropped the proposition on realizing that they could not legally sustain it. The tactic then adopted was to hold onto the results until they have done most of the dirty work, and release the hung Presidential results when they have only three weeks of evil steps to implement. A variation of the plan at that stage is to allege gross and systematic patterns of misconduct and irregularities, declare the Presidential elections null and void, and call for a re-run instead of a run-off. Yes, Robert, we know what’s up. However, we are glad that you also know what time it is. In terms of the House of Assembly, the agenda is to fraudulently seize at least 9 seats from the opposition through recounts and court action leading to re-runs. This explains the twenty-three recounts that ZEC has instituted. There is clearly criminal collusion between ZEC and ZANU-PF. To add insult to injury, this unholy marriage is dutifully consummated by a compliant and pliable judiciary typified and exemplified by Judge Tendai Uchena’s unreasonable and thoughtless decision not to order ZEC to release the Presidential results. For the record, the farce about hung Presidential election results without a clear winner should be rejected with the contempt that it deserves. Mugabe lost the election and Morgan Tsvangirai won with an outright majority. What ZANU-PF has successfully done is to psychologically prepare the nation for a false result through massive propaganda, unmitigated lies and manipulative distortions. It is clear that ZANU-PF’s keenness to portray the results as hung means that the results are the opposite; i.e., we have an outright defeat of Robert Mugabe. It is shameful that even regional leaders and the international community have been duped by ZANU-PF’s big lie. All these discussions of run-off or re-run options are testimony of, and submission to, the power of a duplicitous ZANU-PF. Mugabe has won the psychological warfare.      It is sad that in all this pervasion and destruction of the Zimbabwean national interest, the illegitimate regime of Robert Mugabe has a partner in crime in the name of the SA President. Yes, Mr. Mbeki there is a crisis in Zimbabwe. We are sick and tired of your shameless antics. You clamour that Zimbabwe is not a Province of South Africa, and yet you treat us worse than your mother’s backyard. Whatever credibility and political capital you had left from Polokwane, you are busy dissipating with reckless abandon. This is not how one constructs a basis and rationale for the African Renaissance or New Economic Partnership for Development. Shame on you Thabo Mbeki! Indeed our cup of patience with you has run completely full. How can you be an effective mediator between the Zimbabwean political parties when you show such shameless duplicity, poor judgment and spinelessness? Zimbabwe and Africa deserve better leadership than this. Let us go to New York. How can we have deafening silence on African matters by African leaders at the UN, and leave our case to be articulated by Western leaders. African solutions for African problems demand proactivity and ownership on the part of the African. We must take charge of our lives and not abdicate on our obligations to the continent. The SADC summit communiqué last Sunday was too timid and apologetic. Hence it was ineffectual. What happened at the UN this Wednesday is not only disgraceful but an affront to African dignity.  We must all hang our heads in shame.  The Appropriate Response from the Opposition On the 29th of March, the people voted for change and against the status quo. The removal of Mugabe and his fellow travelers was the issue, and nothing else. The voter’s tactical decision was to elect those perceived to have the best chance of defeating Mugabe. All democratic forces must acknowledge and respect this choice. What is imperative is for all opposition parties to close ranks and make the wishes of the Zimbabwean electorate a reality. In any run-off or re-run of the Presidential Election the support for Morgan Tsvangirai should be total and unconditional. There will be neither equivocation nor ambiguity on that subject. He represents the change that Zimbabweans voted for.  The people spoke on the 29th of March. They seek no accommodation with the Dictator or any of his manifestations. All democratic forces must stand with the people in pursuit of the total annihilation of Robert Mugabe and all he stands for. Going forward, all opposition parties, in particular the two MDC formations must work closely on all matters affecting the national interest. They ought to cooperate in the way they tackle the current political stalemate in our country. There is need to unlock and leverage the collective wisdom, moral authority, bargaining power and numerical strength that is unleashed by a cooperating and united opposition fraternity. History will not absolve this generation of leaders if we falter on this agenda. In fact, we will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Consequently, while the two MDC formations acknowledge that they are two separate political parties, they must irrevocably agree and undertake to work as one in the Legislature. In this regard they will have one Chief Whip and a single Caucus. They will agree to vote together in order to drive the transformational agenda in our country. There must be a solid and binding coalition and co-operation agreement between the two MDC formations. It is our intention it make it clear that our MPs will never vote with the Dictator’s Party. We cannot work with criminals, economic saboteurs and social deviants. Under no circumstances will we vote with Robert Mugabe. Hell no, never, ever. Put simply, the opposition is now in charge of Parliament with 109 MPs, period. That’s where the game is at Robert. Get over it. The self-serving and speculative hallucination among ZANU-PF apologists must stop. The opposition parties are united in their total onslaught on the regime.     In a way, the people of Zimbabwe and the opposition forces are underestimating the critical role and power of the House of Representatives. This is probably because for the past 28 years it was rendered a docile and ineffectual institution due to its domination by ZANU-PF. Now that we are in control of this legislative organ of the State, let us demonstrate its true function and impact. The 110 opposition Members of Parliament (from the two MDC formations and the Independent MP) must informally convene, immediately. They should elect the Speaker, and outline a comprehensive agenda for the incoming Parliament. Items that should be debated and adopted must include, but not limited to: (1) Impeachment of the caretaker President, Robert Mugabe (2) Removal of AIPPA and POSA (3) Establishment of processes for achieving a people-driven democratic constitution (4) Immediate prosecution of public servants, including military and police officers who are currently abusing their authority (5) Establishment of processes to rationalize the land reform program (6) Setting up of a Truth and Justice Commission for Gukurahundi and Murambatsvina (7) Immediate removal from office, and criminal prosecution of, the RBZ Governor, Gideon Gono (8) Dismantling and reconstitution of ZEC. Although this gathering of, and resolutions adopted by these 110 MPs will be informal, a framework for the terms of reference of the formally convened House is thus created. As these MPs constitute the majority they will use this informal platform to drive the Parliamentary agenda. This will send shivers down the spines of that illegal cabal running our country, as reality will suddenly sink in. The game is up! We need to demonstrate that Mugabe has lost and that the people have won. Even without the Presidential results we can unequivocally say that the Zimbabwean political landscape will never be the same again. ZANU-PF understands what has happened. They clearly appreciate the significance of their Parliamentary loss. This is why they are busy trying to reverse their poor fortunes through recounts and court actions. The opposition forces must both outthink and outmaneuver these ZANU-PF losers who are running all over the place like headless chickens. Conclusion In the history of every nation there comes a time when a generation has a unique opportunity to break with the past and define a new direction. Such a momentous occasion currently presents itself in our country. We need to seize the time and deliver change. This requires putting national interest before partisan, sectoral and personal interests. It demands that we apply our minds and outthink the regime. What Mugabe has lost in the electoral battle, he cannot legitimately regain in any election remotely described as free and fair. He is fatally and mortally wounded. The veil of invincibility has been pierced. On the 29th of March 2008 the people voted for change, and that democratic choice must be defended. Our independence will be meaningless without the sanctity and integrity of the one person one vote principle. Those that rule our country must do so with the consent of the governed. If a run-off or re-run is illegally imposed upon us, the first order of business is challenging and exposing the illegitimacy of the basis of that proposition. More than ever, it becomes imperative for all the progressive and democratic forces in the country to close ranks in pursuit of the collective national interest. We must seek to establish a peaceful and secure environment for those illegitimate polls. In addition to observation SADC, the AU and the international community must be allowed to supervise these particular elections; before, during and after the voting process. The mandate of the external players must include the verification and announcement of the results. Yes, the regime has behaved worse than East Timor. We now need international supervision. Consequently, the notion of regional sovereignty and the doctrine of international responsibility to protect must now take precedence over Mugabe’s narrow definition of national sovereignty. We have lost the right to manage our affairs alone internally. We need help. However, Zimbabwean citizens will be the key drivers of this revolution. The power is in our hands. Let us stand up and be masters of our destiny. On this occasion of our Independence Day, let us rededicate ourselves to meaningful and total political and economic independence. The people should govern. The people must prosper. We shall overcome. Arthur G.O. Mutambara

Man held illegally after office 'stuffed up'

http://www.smh.com.au

Yuko Narushima
January 16, 2009

THE failure of an immigration official to date a letter is proving an
administrative nightmare seven years later as a Zimbabwean farmer fights for
compensation after being held unlawfully in detention for six months.
After fleeing the regime of President Robert Mugabe, Troy Parker, 37, was
refused a spousal visa in 2002 on the grounds that his relationship with an
Australian woman was not genuine.

Mr Parker was locked up in a Perth detention centre for 175 days as an
illegal immigrant then released on a bridging visa.

But a review of his case in 2005 found Mr Parker's original rejection letter
was never dated, forcing the Immigration Department to work on the
assumption he held a bridging visa all along, rendering the refusal
notification invalid.

"This is bureaucracy gone mad," Mr Parker's migration agent, John Young,
said. "In my 18 years as a migration agent, I have never seen such a badly
handled case."

In documents obtained by Mr Young through freedom-of-information requests,
handwritten notes on Mr Parker's file state: "Perth stuffed up. How do we
learn from this?" and "How do we make it right for this person ?".

And minutes from the department's compliance office note: "If Mr Parker's
original refusal letter had been dated, the reasons for his detention would
not be in question."

The department is investigating the case and said complaints of mishandling
are taken seriously. "Mr Parker is lawfully in Australia and there are no
plans to remove him while an investigation is under way," a departmental
spokesman said.

Mr Parker, who now lives in Cairns with a new partner, is seeking permanent
residency and compensation for psychological and emotional distress, as well
as loss of income. Mr Young said his client was seeking "around a million."

In September the department said the Government may have to compensate as
many as 191 people after wrongly holding them in detention.

A 2007 report by the Commonwealth Ombudsman, John McMillan, found 247
Australian citizens, permanent residents and lawful visa holders had been
wrongly detained since 1993.

Time to forcefully oust Mugabe

http://www.csmonitor.com/

Successful intervention by neighboring African states has been done before.
By John Prendergast
from the January 16, 2009 edition

Washington - In the past decade, working as a US diplomat and then as a
human rights advocate, I've had the perversely unique opportunity to meet on
occasion with one of the longest-serving dictators in the world, President
Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe.

These three- or four-hour marathon meetings were right out of central
casting, with an out-of-touch octogenarian autocrat spouting vitriol against
the British, democracy, and American corporate interests while sipping tea
and speaking in an English accent even Queen Elizabeth would envy.

In one of the early meetings, no one in the room at that time took seriously
his vague threat that he would rather watch his house burn down then give
away the key to the presidential mansion. Mugabe's latest announcement that
he is forming a new government without the opposition despite their
power-sharing deal clarifies what he meant: that he would never leave power
willingly as long as he was alive, and that he would destroy the country if
he had to in order to maintain his grip on power.

He's made good on his promise: Half the country faces starvation, the
government - which once boasted a literacy rate higher than America's -
spends 18 cents per student per year on education, food prices double every
24 hours with the world's highest inflation rate, and a cholera epidemic
rages as the once-stellar healthcare system collapses.

The situation is dire but not hopeless, if the international community -
including the incoming Obama administration - is willing to move beyond the
failed strategy aimed at cobbling together a coalition government with a man
whose entire worldview is predicated on maintaining absolute power by any
means necessary.

For a real solution in Zimbabwe, there are two credible choices: isolation
or intervention. Neither is cost-free, and both are fraught with dangers.
But now that the house is burning, we must take away Mugabe's key.

A strategy of isolation would involve widening and deepening targeted
sanctions against regime officials and building a coalition to enforce them.
Beyond that, Zimbabwe's southern African neighbors could close their borders
with Zimbabwe to all but refugees and humanitarian supplies, and interdict
all energy and arms exports to Zimbabwe.

Furthermore, the UN Security Council could refer the case of Zimbabwe to the
International Criminal Court in order to investigate the systematic denial
of food to people on the basis of their political affiliation as well as the
widespread use of torture by the state.

There are significant risks in this approach. The humanitarian crisis could
deepen, pushing millions into actual starvation. Mugabe could order his
militias and security services to intensify their attacks against civilian
populations deemed unsupportive of the regime. His government could block
access by humanitarian groups and thousands could die of cholera and other
epidemics.

The truth, however, is that much of this is already happening, but in slow
motion. Mortality rates are creeping upward because of an explosion of
untreated AIDS cases, combined with spiraling malnutrition rates. Zimbabwe
already has among the lowest life expectancy rates in the world, hovering
around 40 years by the UN's last count.

There may be a faster solution. When the situation in Idi Amin's Uganda
spiraled out of control and he began destabilizing neighbors, Tanzania
intervened in 1979 and overthrew Amin's regime. When Charles Taylor's
destruction of Liberia and Sierra Leone became untenable, Nigeria and other
neighbors sent troops, and the US sent warships off Liberia's coast in a
concerted regional push to successfully urge Taylor to resign and leave the
country in 2003. When Congo's Mobutu Sese Seko's divide-and-conquer approach
to government began creating security problems for neighbors, they supported
rebel groups to overthrow him in 1997.

As refugees, crime, and disease flow across their borders from Zimbabwe, the
time has come for neighboring governments to expedite Mugabe's departure.
South Africa remains the key, and the incoming Obama administration would do
well to hold early talks with President Kgalema Motlanthe and ruling party
leader Jacob Zuma about how this might be accomplished.

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who is returning to Zimbabwe for more
talks with Mugabe next week, should be congratulated for his exhaustive
efforts to find a negotiated solution to the conflict. But the likelihood of
successful talks remains low, and the international community should not
delay putting the wheels in motion to oust Mugabe. It will probably be messy
in the short run and not without unintended consequences. But the status quo
will guarantee that any hope for Zimbabwe - and huge numbers of its people -
will eventually cease to exist.

 John Prendergast is co-chair of Enough, a Center for American Progress
project focused on ending genocide and crimes against humanity
(www.enoughproject.org). He is the coauthor with Don Cheadle of "Not on Our
Watch."